Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Northwest Territories government
The Diavik Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories says 450 million litres of wastewater spilled due to a broken pipeline. The spill took place on Feb. 7 but wasn't reported to the Northwest Territories government until late last week. The territorial government says pipeline operators did not initially believe it needed to be reported as the wastewater leaked into a containment pond that was its final destination.
A team working to address environmental and health effects from a former gold mine outside Yellowknife has provided an update on the effort to clean up one of the most contaminated places in Canada. The Giant Mine Remediation Project, co-managed by the Canadian and Northwest Territories governments, is expected to take until 2038 to complete. Arsenic trioxide waste stored underground is anticipated to require perpetual maintenance.
The communities of Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte should be on high alert for possible flooding in the coming days, warns the Northwest Territories government. In a news release Wednesday, the territory said warm weather means the snowmelt from mountains in BC, Yukon and the N.W.T. is starting to make its way into the water system. That will contribute to high water levels and flow in the Liard and South Nahanni rivers.
The mayor of Fort Simpson, N.W.T. said he is feeling trepidation as May approaches, after the community dealt with devastating flooding that time last year. Sean Whelly said the combination of snowfall and water levels, plus a late spring is raising anxieties in the town. "We've been warned by the territorial government that we're at high risk to experience some flooding again this year, so we're concerned," he said.
